NANTES (2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - Inspired by Shao Ting's determination, China beat Belarus 84-70 to secure one of the five tickets on offer for the Rio Olympics in Friday's third Quarter-Finals at the 2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (WOQT).  

Lindsey Harding finished with a game-high 22 points, Yelena Leuchanka added 19 points and game-high nine rebounds for Belarus but the game belonged to China.  

Turning Point: Despite trailing 16-14 at the end of the opening quarter, Shao Ting came up strong in the second period to change the course of the game for the Chinese who went to the locker room leading 32-28. To make matters worse for Belarus, Anastasiya Verameyenka got into foul trouble in the third quarter, leading head coach Anatoli Buyalski to take her out of the game. In the meantime, three-pointers by Sun Mengran and Chen Xiaojia saw the East Asians extend their lead to 44-32 and they never looked back, going up by as many as 23 points.

Stats Don't Lie: China led for all but 1 minute and 43 seconds of this contest. By half-time, they held a 27-15 rebounding advantage that proved crucial.  

Game Hero: While Shao Ting led by example, China's team effort proved key in their success.

The Bottom Line: When these two teams last met - at the 2014 FIBA Women's World Championship, Shao Ting propelled China to a 72-67 win. On Friday, she reminded everyone why they are a team to watch out for at the Olympics.  

FIBA